Options you wish your X5 had?

[Spyro235]

Originally Posted by Serf27

The 35d would be good for gas mileage, but at 265 hp, it doesn’t really fit what I’m looking for.
You purchased your e70 35d for $4300? That’s a very good price.

What d o you mean “third row for the oem rear suspension”?

Thanks all.

Mine is deleted and tuned, and goes like a bat out of hell when you want it to! The power is underrated from the factory, but the thing is a torque monster. Plus, torque is what makes a vehicle feel fast. It's effortless to go fast in the X5d. You don't have to rev out to make power, you just let it build a bit of boost and you're rocketing forwards.

And I mean the oem rear air suspension.

[jiggz]

Serf27 - what exterior/interior colors are you looking for? Ideal mileage?

[Spyro235]

Originally Posted by jiggz

What kind of power does that put down on the 35d? I honestly don't know.

Tunes for the E70 50i are cheap nowadays and yield 500ish HP/600ish TQ.

Originally Posted by Serf27

I am curious as to what numbers the diesel could put out and the cost to get those numbers
I’m aiming for the 50i hp because with a tune, it could yield ~500hp. The car won’t really be used all that often. I’m thinking a tuned 50i for ~$500 with the right preventive maintenance should last me sometime. I won’t be flooring it all the time, but it’s always been a peace of mind to me to know I have the power to use if needed.

If i remember correctly, I should be sitting at 330-340 whp and 500-550 wtq. It's not a high strung motor, but when it builds boost, it MOVES! Keep in mind, I come from a stage 2 full bolt on n54 335i, which weighed 1500-2000lbs less than my X5, and made 380hp/410wtq- I never feel that the X5 is lacking at all. It merges onto the highway quicker than most cars on the road, and it effortlessly just moves forwards when at speed.

Delete and tune total, icluding parts and labor and tune, cost me $2000 even. The car is now completely reliable, with pretty much no major flaws. You can NOT say that about the 50i, which is known to be problems and expensive maint.

I get 28-31 mpg on the highway, and my car's over 230k miles on the odo and I fully expect it to last another 300k. I LOVE my diesel. Plus, I tow my drift car with it, fairly often.

[Dave00]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

No, the M uses non- runflat tires, so needs a spare.
Standard X5's use runflats = no spare.

I forgot the Comfort Access key fob, I LUV this option. Leave key in pocket.

"Soft close doors would be a huge + as I hate when people slam the doors in my cars. "
Just because you have Soft-close doors doesn't mean anyone will close them softly!! Mine get slammed all the time :-( And you feel like a snob when you point it out or ask them to close them softly...

Nope - 13' X5M here and no spare tire and they come standard with run flats. When the time comes I'll dump the run flats as they are too hard and go with standard performance tires.

I have the rear entertainment, but I can tell you it's not all that great as the dang TV folds down over the arm rest and is a pain when wanting to get into the armrest storage and there's a 6 DVD changer in the glove box that doesn't even link to the back TV. Can't believe that BMW put a DVD changer in the front for the front TV only when in stock fashion the movies can't be viewed without the car in park. Seems dumb to me. HUD is nice, but sucks as stated with polarized glasses during the day. However, all that being said my favorite part is the 550HP and 555ftlbs of torque as this thing is fun!!!!

[Serf27]

Originally Posted by heatmizr

"Soft close doors would be a huge + as I hate when people slam the doors in my cars. "
Just because you have Soft-close doors doesn't mean anyone will close them softly!! Mine get slammed all the time :-( And you feel like a snob when you point it out or ask them to close them softly...

I thought this would happen! If the doors are slammed with this feature, would it wear out the actuators faster?

Originally Posted by Spyro235

Mine is deleted and tuned, and goes like a bat out of hell when you want it to! The power is underrated from the factory, but the thing is a torque monster. Plus, torque is what makes a vehicle feel fast. It's effortless to go fast in the X5d. You don't have to rev out to make power, you just let it build a bit of boost and you're rocketing forwards.

Originally Posted by Spyro235

If i remember correctly, I should be sitting at 330-340 whp and 500-550 wtq. It's not a high strung motor, but when it builds boost, it MOVES! Keep in mind, I come from a stage 2 full bolt on n54 335i, which weighed 1500-2000lbs less than my X5, and made 380hp/410wtq- I never feel that the X5 is lacking at all. It merges onto the highway quicker than most cars on the road, and it effortlessly just moves forwards when at speed.

Delete and tune total, icluding parts and labor and tune, cost me $2000 even. The car is now completely reliable, with pretty much no major flaws. You can NOT say that about the 50i, which is known to be problems and expensive maint.

I get 28-31 mpg on the highway, and my car's over 230k miles on the odo and I fully expect it to last another 300k. I LOVE my diesel. Plus, I tow my drift car with it, fairly often.

Maybe the x5d might be an option? $2000 seems like a lot though, for that final power number. Wish I knew someone with a tuned diesel so I could see what it feels like.

Originally Posted by Dave00

I have the rear entertainment, but I can tell you it's not all that great as the dang TV folds down over the arm rest and is a pain when wanting to get into the armrest storage and there's a 6 DVD changer in the glove box that doesn't even link to the back TV. Can't believe that BMW put a DVD changer in the front for the front TV only when in stock fashion the movies can't be viewed without the car in park. Seems dumb to me. HUD is nice, but sucks as stated with polarized glasses during the day. However, all that being said my favorite part is the 550HP and 555ftlbs of torque as this thing is fun!!!!

It would be cool to test drive an M and a tuned 50i/35d!

Dvd changer in the front not controlling the rear seems annoying, but nonetheless a cool feature.

Originally Posted by jiggz

Serf27 - what exterior/interior colors are you looking for? Ideal mileage?

Exterior: Alpine white to match the e90 or Titanium silver to match the e91.
I could settle for a different color if the car has all the features I want. Definitely won’t get any type of green or red, no offense to anyone.

Interior: All black or mocha brown. Maybe the whiteish silverstone or a type of beige that I’ve seen. Not tan.

Mileage: Lower mileage would be best, but the lower the mileage, the less chance it is that the valve seals have been done.
50k-70k miles w/o valve seals and up to 110k miles with valve seals replaced. Dealer maintenance in Carfax would be a huge plus. Of course the price between 50k and 110k miles would be a factor into the purchase.

The 50i I was going to get last Friday, had about 80k miles, service records from brand new to 70k miles from the dealer, valve seals and injectors replaced at 40k miles. Stupid cold feet!

[igell]

Soft close doors - I am not sure most here understand what this feature does. All it means is that if you barely shut the door where its clicked on, but not closed car will close it all the way.
I have it and think its a rather useless feature

[Serf27]

Originally Posted by igell

Soft close doors - I am not sure most here understand what this feature does. All it means is that if you barely shut the door where its clicked on, but not closed car will close it all the way.
I have it and think its a rather useless feature

If you slam soft close doors, will it damage or prematurely wear the lock actuator?

Currently have my eyes on an x5m.

No comfort seats though.

[Sophisticated Redneck]

Originally Posted by igell

Soft close doors - I am not sure most here understand what this feature does. All it means is that if you barely shut the door where its clicked on, but not closed car will close it all the way.
I have it and think its a rather useless feature

I call it the "mistress door close". Nothing worse then coming home at 2am from seeing your mistress and trying to get the damn door to close without slamming it and then waking up the wife....."where have you been? Why do you smell like that? Why is your hair a mess?"
The BMW mistress door close avoids all that!!!

Seriously though I thought it was silly too but I actually like not having to slam the doors to get them to lock, think it's a bit easier on the internals of the door too.

[Sophisticated Redneck]

Originally Posted by Serf27

If you slam soft close doors, will it damage or prematurely wear the lock actuator?

Currently have my eyes on an x5m.

No comfort seats though.

Nope won't damage it at all, the motor will still activate even if the door is already closed but doesnt do much and probably less load on it since its already closed. With that being said, I did have to replace my driver's door motor at about 140k miles. I am in.and out of my car at least 10 times a day though so I consider that life span acceptable. They are pricey though at about 400 dollars as the motor and lock actuator are permanently connected. Pretty easy to replace though, BMW left you just enough room to do it without having to remove the window regulator

[Serf27]

I may have found one with what I want!

Does not have comfort seats, only sport with memory seats. Meh.
No paddle shifters, can’t these be added with some sort of harness?
At 85k miles(n55 35i) the carfax service report could be better. No major work done to it, some mileage gaps between service. Possibly a small shop performed services or at home diy?
Should I prepare for any major issues repairs?
Similar to the v8 valve seals?

[Dave00]

Originally Posted by Serf27

I may have found one with what I want!

Does not have comfort seats, only sport with memory seats. Meh.
No paddle shifters, can’t these be added with some sort of harness?
At 85k miles(n55 35i) the carfax service report could be better. No major work done to it, some mileage gaps between service. Possibly a small shop performed services or at home diy?
Should I prepare for any major issues repairs?
Similar to the v8 valve seals?

Don't think the N55 suffers the same valve seal issue that the N62, N63 and N63TU all suffer from.

Seems like the typical things to look out for are:

1) Boost and Charge pipe breaking or detaching from the throttle or inter-cooler.
2) Valve cover leaks - Common to all BMW's
3) Water Pump failure - Common to all BMW's
4) Leaking Oil filter housing gasket - very similar to the E46
5) Vanos solenoid issues/failure
6) HPFP (High Pressure Fuel Pump) failure in older models
7) I would also guess carbon buildup on intake valves (common to all DI engines)

[OneSickM]

Damn..your search is still going? I thought you gave up after couple of months and settled on something lol

I wish I have the patience like you have. If I start looking at cars, I settle within couple of weeks

[Serf27]

Originally Posted by Dave00

Don't think the N55 suffers the same valve seal issue that the N62, N63 and N63TU all suffer from.

Seems like the typical things to look out for are:

1) Boost and Charge pipe breaking or detaching from the throttle or inter-cooler.
2) Valve cover leaks - Common to all BMW's
3) Water Pump failure - Common to all BMW's
4) Leaking Oil filter housing gasket - very similar to the E46
5) Vanos solenoid issues/failure
6) HPFP (High Pressure Fuel Pump) failure in older models
7) I would also guess carbon buildup on intake valves (common to all DI engines)

So all very similar to the n54. I have the n54 in the e90 and have done all of that stuff you mentioned, except the HPFP and vanos hasn’t failed. It’s at 130k miles.

Originally Posted by OneSickM

Damn..your search is still going? I thought you gave up after couple of months and settled on something lol

I wish I have the patience like you have. If I start looking at cars, I settle within couple of weeks

Yea! When I bought my e90 I didn’t know anything about bmw options. I’ve added a lot of stuff and have said I’d never buy another car without the right options again. Good learning when adding stuff to the e90, but doing it once is enough. Lol.

[WoodE30]

I wish my X5 didn't have third row seating. Such a waste of space.

[JDAURIA]

Wish I had ventilated cooling seat option

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by Serf27

I may have found one with what I want!

Does not have comfort seats, only sport with memory seats. Meh.
No paddle shifters, can’t these be added with some sort of harness?
At 85k miles(n55 35i) the carfax service report could be better. No major work done to it, some mileage gaps between service. Possibly a small shop performed services or at home diy?
Should I prepare for any major issues repairs?
Similar to the v8 valve seals?

Nice - tell us more about it!

Sounds like you found a Sport or M Sport model based on the seats - if yes, paddle shifters can be added w/o any harness, simple plug 'n play. But you'd need to swap on a new steering wheel that already has the paddles + correct wiring. The current steering wheel on this X5 will not have the cut outs for the paddles.

FYI - paddles are only included on Sport and M Sport models, and not until late 2012 models (build dates starting around November 2011). And only on the 35i & 50i, not the 35d.

I swapped an X5M steering wheel onto my M Sport many years back as I wanted the paddles, but I honestly never used them. I use them all the time on my M3 DCT, but seemed weird using them on the X5. The X5M steering wheel did look pretty sweet though with the M tri-stitching and M specific paddles.

[Serf27]

Originally Posted by JDNY516

Wish I had ventilated cooling seat option

I wonder if swapping in ventilated seats, would they only require some coding?

Originally Posted by WoodE30

I wish my X5 didn't have third row seating. Such a waste of space.

They fold down don’t they?

Originally Posted by jiggz

Nice - tell us more about it!

Sounds like you found a Sport or M Sport model based on the seats - if yes, paddle shifters can be added w/o any harness, simple plug 'n play. But you'd need to swap on a new steering wheel that already has the paddles + correct wiring. The current steering wheel on this X5 will not have the cut outs for the paddles.

FYI - paddles are only included on Sport and M Sport models, and not until late 2012 models (build dates starting around November 2011). And only on the 35i & 50i, not the 35d.

I swapped an X5M steering wheel onto my M Sport many years back as I wanted the paddles, but I honestly never used them. I use them all the time on my M3 DCT, but seemed weird using them on the X5. The X5M steering wheel did look pretty sweet though with the M tri-stitching and M specific paddles.

It’s an m sport 2012 in black.
Every option I wanted+some I wasn’t counting on, except the paddles.
That will probably be one of the first things I add. I agree the M tri stiching is very nice! I added an m3 wheel with paddles to the e90 and it’s a huge difference.
Third row, CA. seat heat front+rear and a bunch more. I don’t want to jinx it. I’m going to look at it this weekend.

[WoodE30]

Originally Posted by Serf27

They fold down don’t they?

Yes they do, but i'd rather have the cargo space under the trunk floor panel.

[JDAURIA]

Originally Posted by Serf27

I wonder if swapping in ventilated seats, would they only require some coding?

I'm sure they are very hard to find. At a minimum would need a new center control unit and most likely coding or software update to the CIC unit. :/

[Serf27]

Well, almost year later, I found it. It’s on it’s way from another state.
M sport/sport package
HUD
Front+rear heated seats
Rear DVD system
Back up/side/top view camera
Third row seats
Self leveling suspension
Adaptive suspension
Adaptive CC/Active steering/lane departure
CA/Alarm
Soft close auto doors
Rear door sunshades
Style 599 wheels.
+other random bits I don’t care too much for.
Already fitted with the Android IDrive replacement screen!

First mod is the F series steering wheel and sending the cluster out to get new faces and swap led color to a white or blue.
Can’t wait.

[SteveL42]

I've got the ventilated seats, really not all the much to right home about. I thought it would pipe the AC cooled air into the seat, but it's just a fan(s). The seat heater, on the other hand, will get you waay too toasty on the first setting - I find the low setting is quite enough!

[Thecastle]

Originally Posted by Dave00

Don't think the N55 suffers the same valve seal issue that the N62, N63 and N63TU all suffer from.

I just want to correct this for folks who stumble on this thread latter. Interestingly enough the inline-6 and the V8's use the same valve stem seals. Only the N62/N63 have been identified to have the problem of premature failure of the seals, in the 60-70K range. But if you scan the forums you'll find a lot of reports of the N54/N55 having failing valve stem seals in the 130k-150k range. Which is probably reasonable, considering BMWs share the same seals.

The S63's with their better head cooling have had a handful fail in the the 130L-150K+ range if it happens at all (only a few cases I'm aware of). The N63TU had among many changes upgraded head cooling and does not seem to suffer from premature valve stem seal failures. Only 1 F15 owners only report 1 case of an early 2014 N63TU, don't see any cases in F01, F10 and other forums.

So your safe with an N63TU (which is not an option on an E70), and an S63 is generally fine as well (for vavle stem seals). P.S. I own both S63 and N63, and have owned an N62 E70 (4.8i) which developed bad valve stem seals. I will say that my N63TU with 70K miles has been pretty much totally reliable, my S63 with 60K miles has had a lot of minor but expensive issues. My N62 was smoking like batman at 80K miles. So no its not turbo's in the V, or cats next to the engine or the N62's would never have had the issue. Its internal head/oil cooling that's the problem along with poor seal choice for the environment its in.